Saturday, 10 August 2013

Yesterday, we celebrated Eid, the end of Ramzan's thirty days of fasting, with all of our friends and neighbors. This picture is at a friend's house. She lives just two houses down from us and her husband was home from his work in Saudi Arabia for the festivities!

It was a lot of fun. I mean, we got to put on our "fancy" clothes, and we went to 9 different houses. And it's the biggest celebration of the year in our neighborhood, so even the crabbiest of people are in the best mood. And we ate a lot of food... apparently too much food.

Since last night at about 10 PM, my husband and I have been having something akin to the stomach bug. I guess our stomachs don't really agree with endless chicken curry and dahi vada even if our mouths do :). So, it has now been almost 24 hours of sleeping, taking rotations in the bathroom, and an all liquid diet. Not exactly what I had in mind for my Saturday. All is not lost though. My awesome husband did make us some homemade applesauce and chicken noodle soup for when we are ready to attempt consuming something that actually requires our digestive tracks' involvement.

I married him five and a half years ago, and I'm so glad I did. It's funny how I realize what a gift I have in him on the sick-in-bed days, or out-of-sorts days, or the just-plain-rotten-days. He's so stinkin' sweet to me. He's sick too, but he's brought me water, juice, and electrolyte supplements. He's held my hand and snuggled up to me in bed. He's talked with me when I start feeling lonely. He is kind. And I love him so much. In fact, I love him so much more than I ever dreamed I would or could five and half years ago. So, thanks to Dustin, my sick-in-bed day has had a sweet side too.

Thursday, 1 August 2013

Well, I've been pregnant for a full 18.5 weeks now. The first 15 weeks were pretty intense. In the beginning, the only "wonder" I experienced was wondering if it would ever end. I had no idea that the first trimester of pregnancy is about the same as having the stomach flu for three months. I mean, sure, I'd heard of morning sickness, but seriously? I threw up constantly, and everywhere. In front of the fruit bazar, in my kitchen, on my husband's back, in the morning, in my sleep, at dinner... It was a very, very long first trimester. Thankfully, somewhere around 15 weeks, my body decided to stop producing so much of whatever hormone induces constant vomiting, and viola, I feel human again! Sure, I still eat TUMS like candy, pee every ten minutes and my feet look like overstuffed sausages from all of the swelling, but it's not so bad.

Actually, I'm starting to really embrace the miracle-ness of this process. It is pretty incredible to think that a tiny little person is being formed in my body and it's crazy how much I love this little life! There are also a couple of perks to being pregnant. For instance, people now offer me the comfy chair wherever I go, my skin in gorgeous, I can blame crying, forgetfulness, and mass hysteria on hormones, I have a reasonable excuse to not share my dessert with anyone, and my husband offers to rub my feet at night. Not bad.

I'm also enjoying the rather entertainingadvice that flows freely from passersby. I've learned that while I should avoid papaya, pineapples, and mangos, chai can be consumed in abundance. I've learned that I really should "stop all of that exercising."Also, soap should be avoided since it will dry out my skin. But, there are a few tips that I'm totally taking to the bank. Apparently, it is perfectly acceptable for me to wear my PJs for the entire last trimester and sleep as much as I want. Also, new moms are supposed to get a massage everyday after childbirth for at least a month to take care of loose skin. Who in their right mind wouldn't go for that? I guess there really are quite a few wonders after all.